Have You Ever Wondered?
by C. F Hamilton
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened in the lives of the Band of Seven before they were killed? Ayame, a mysterious warrior shows up and begins traveling with the Band, but will her dark past catch up with her? BanXOC.
1. Where It All Began

The sound of metal clashing upon metal could be heard for miles around in the dense forest. A battle raged on between a group of seven men against what originally seemed to be a fierce army. However, the group proved to be too much for the army, and soon they were laid to waste by the seven strange men. Finally, there was only one soldier left standing, the General, this was not, however, due to the man's personal skill with his sword. No, he survived only this long because he stayed back, away form the battle, watching his men die without regret.

"Please!" The General begs to the leader of the group. He's on his knees, sword still at his side. He never even took it from it's sheath. "Please, spare me! I'll give you anything you want! Money, power, women! Name it and I'll give it to you!"

"Hah!" A young man, roughly eighteen with long, braided black hair and turquoise eyes laughs harshly. "You think I would want anything from you, a coward? That's a laugh."

"Surely you must want something?"

"Yeah, actually I do."

The General looked up hopefully, but before he could ask the young man what the something was, he continued on, "Your head!" And with that statement, he swung his Banryu down and sliced off the man's head, mumbling a soft number under his breath.

"Well, that was a bit dramatic, don't you think, Bankotsu?" A bald, older looking man asked, though his tone was only a teasing one. "Why yes, Renkotsu, I suppose it was." Bankotsu responds, playfully scratching the back of his head. Taking in his surroundings, Bankotsu mentally takes in the amount of bloodshed before him before looking back over his men. Opening his mouth with the intention to give out orders, he's stopped short when his stomach gives out a large rumble. Staring down at his stomach, Bankotsu lets out a hearty laugh before starting again.

"Guess I'm pretty hungry, huh? How 'bout you guys?"

They all nod.

"Well then, I think there's a village not too far from us, let's go get some grub."

With an easy flex of his arm, the leader rests his weapon on his shoulder as if it were a walking stick even though it weighed well over one hundred pounds. Bankotsu began to lead the group into the forest, heading for that village he previously mentioned when Renkotsu spoke up. "Brother, shouldn't we gather our money from the Lord who commissioned us first?"

"Nah, we can collect that later and we're all hungry now. Besides, it's not like we don't have enough money on us right now for food."

"Yeah, Renkotsu, we'll just get it later." Another member of the mercenaries added while fiddling with placing a butterfly pin in his hair.

"Brother," An abnormally tall member of the group started, "Do you think there will be any of _my_ type of food there?" He asked, eying the dead soldiers with a gross look of hunger.

"You want to stay here, Kyokotsu? That's fine. We'll meet up with you when we had back this way. Now, let's go! I'm a growing boy over here!"

With the last of the objections, the remaining six of the group headed out into the forest. The village ended up being farther away than Bankotsu had originally thought. Instead of an easy walk, it ended up to be a two hour trek. Nevertheless when they arrived in the village, the men didn't stop to complain or question their leader. Instead, they continued to follow Bankotsu over to a small shop selling some amazing smelling meats.

Taking their seats over in the far corner of the room, a woman hurried over with a bottle of sake for the group. All the while Jakostu sneered at the woman, impatiently cracking his knuckles until the woman quickly finished her job and practically ran from the table back into the kitchen.

"Well she could have at least taken our order." Jakotsu muttered with a sad sigh. "Shut up, Jakotsu." Bankotsu says shortly, annoyed because his friend is the reason their order wasn't taken.

The sound of laughter behind Bankotsu enticed him to turn around and stare down whoever thought his starvation was funny. His eyes made contact with another pair of light blue ones. A young girl, no older than seventeen, was standing halfway between the group of men and the door. Her eyes were shining with amusement and she had her hand curled over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. If Bankotsu weren't so hungry, he probably would have invited her over and flirted with her. However, he was in a foul mood and glared at the girl instead.

"What's so funny girl?"

Instead of answering right away, the girl took a few calming breaths to stop her laughter and ended with simply smiling brightly at him. With a small, happy sigh, she shook her head and walked up to the table of men. "You boys need some help ordering?" She asked, fits of laughter attempted to burst out. Jakotsu glares point blank at the new girl and practically spits out a definite "No."

"Of course you don't, dear. You'll have no problem getting a girl back over here to take your order after you gave the first one a look that could kill. Let me guess...ex-soldiers on the run?"

"We most certainly are _not_ soldiers." Renkotsu stated, looking over the girl with a look of want in his eyes.

The girl most certainly was not an eye sore. Her face was pretty enough, but her eyes were her main attraction. Renkotsu thought it was a shame that her bangs fell over them, blocking his view from their main potential. "Oh?" She starts, "What are you then?"

"We are the Band of Seven, and we are mercenaries." Bankotsu states, confused by this girl's interest. Her face slowly drops and she repeats "Mercenaries." Her eyes swiftly glance over then, her eyebrows twitch forward. "Wait a minute, if you're the Band of _Seven_, why are there only six of you?"

"Our seventh member isn't here, obviously." Jakotsu drawls and smirks when he hears a muffled sound to his right. Ginkotsu had just agreed with him. The girl's eyes flickered up towards Ginkotsu and then over his body. With the corner of her lips pulling down, a look of pity and concern over comes her expression. Shaking her head lightly, she turns her body to look over at the gaggle of girls in a corner of the room. Glancing back at Bankotsu, she asks, "You got money on you?"

"Yeah."

"How much?"

"Enough." Bankotsu replies stiffly. The girl smirks slightly before making her way over to the girls. "Now what is this bitch doing?" Jakotsu groans, Bankotsu simply shrugs and watches. After speaking with one of the girls she returns with a smile on her face, though this time not as bright or as happy as before. "Hope you boys enjoy your meal. See you 'round."

With those parting words, the strange girl walks out of the establishment. Looking over to Renkotsu, who simply shrugs, Bankotsu wonders what just happened. Hardly any time passes from when the girl left them when two girls came out holding four dishes of different assortment of fishes and meats on them. Once they had left, two more girls showed up after them with more foods. Before one had left, however, Renkotsu grabbed them and said "We didn't order this." The girl looked confused but responded, "But, the girl said you wanted one of everything."

Renkotsu released her and looked to Bankotsu who had a smirk on his face. That girl was definitely interesting, now if only he knew her name.

**A/N: As promised, the first chapter of the new re-vamped HYEW series. Hope you enjoyed, please review. Also, if you are interested in the old story, let me know, and I will send the old chapters your way.**

**Pastry~ **


	2. Trespassing

After finishing their very filling meal, the Band of Seven made their way down to the center of the village, planning on buying a few supplies for their journey back to claim the reward from some Lord out in the west. Bankotsu heaved a long sigh, hoping for something to come along and cure him of his current boredom. Maybe a horde of demons attacking? Perhaps even a lowly beggar come to attempt a robbery on them? Or better, yet, if that strange girl were to appear again. That would definitely cure the leader of mercenaries of his boredom. However, it didn't seem like any of those possibilities would be happening any time soon.

Ordering the group to pair up and split up, in order to finish up at the market faster, Bankotsu walked away with Jakotsu aimlessly into the crowd. Eventually the two of them finished with the market, both carrying a sack of items containing non-perishable foods and a couple of other non-essentials. Instead of catching up to the rest of the group, however, the two made their way down to a creek and began to walk along side it, unaware of where it may lead. Bankotsu and Jakotsu were just about to turn around when they heard an angry, deep voice yell their way from the top of a bridge.

"You two there! Halt immediately, or suffer the consequences!"

Bankotsu lazily looked up at the man dressed in full samurai gear and snorted in disdain. Wondering what the man could possibly want. Jakotsu looked around the area for a minute, looking confused before pointing a single finger towards himself.

"Who? Us? What'd we do?"

"You have trespassed on Lord Akihiro's land and are thus under arrest! The Lord himself will decide your fate."

The samurai, who had walked over to the two mercenaries while talking, was now right in front of them, one hand on the hilt of his katana. "You two will be coming with me quietly and alive, or quietly and dead. The choice is yours." He added after looking over their weapons. Instead of responding with words, Jakotsu simply began to laugh,a high pitched, squealing-like laugh, Placing his hand on top of his own weapon, the Jakotsuto, he licked his lips at the samurai before replying, "You sure you wanna do that, cutie?"

Preparing himself for battle, the samurai gulped loudly before unsheathing his sword and readying it in front oh his body. Jakotsu merely smiled wide in response, about to cut the man into pieces when he felt the pressure of a cold blade on his throat. "He asked you to come quietly, mercenaries, do you really have a problem with the request? Or are you simply itching for a fight?"

It was the girl from the meat restaurant, except this time her smile was replaced with a hard lined mouth and fierce eyes. Jakotsu glared in the girl's direction, wondering how she snuck up on him so quickly. Looking past Jakotsu over to Bankotsu, the girl addressed the leader casually, as if they were simply acquaintances meeting over a cup of tea.

"Is this one always so quick to attack?"

Bankotsu pondered over this question for several moments, "Nah, usually he taunts his oppponent for a while before attacking," he shrugs, "maybe he's in a bad mood today." The girl nodded, pulling her blade away from Jakotsu's neck before turning her attention onto the samurai, his sword still drawn.

"You can put that away now, Junichi, there will be no need for force today. I will take it from here, thank you."

"B—but miss! Protocol says that any trespassers must be taken to—"

"I know what protocol says, however I am giving you an order to forget about that right now and return to your post. I will deal with these two on my own, no need to bother his Lordship over such trivial matters."

Her tone alone leaves no room for argument and the samurai leaves in a hurry, not even bothering to look over his shoulder to make sure the girl was all right. Running her hand through her ebony locks, the girl huffs out a sigh and turns to the two men with one eye brow higher than the other, giving them a quizzical look. Bankotsu returns her look with a a smug smirk and bumps Jakotsu on his shoulder, letting him know to take his hand off the handle of his blade.

"Well that was stupid of you." Jakotsu blurts out. "Did you think I wouldn't attack you because you're a woman? Because I would never hold back cutting the throat of a bitch."

"No, what was stupid was you about to attack that poor man for doing his job. It's not his fault your on his Lordship's property."

"Well we didn't know that, there should be, like, a sign or something that says 'watch out, this is the Lord's land'."

"Akihiro doesn't care whether or not you know this is his land, all right? Just because you're new in town doesn't mean he'd let it slide."

"Akihiro? No _Lord _before that? Doesn't that seem a bit informal to you, Jakotsu?" Bankotsu cuts in, his words making the girl frown, "Yeah, that's quite the slip up there, and the guard was so quick to follow your orders. What are you? The Lord's mistress or something?" He continues.

"Or something." She states vaguely, the color draining from her face. "Look, you two can go now, okay? Go on and assassinate some people why don't you?"

"Maybe we will, perhaps this Lord of yours has some enemies he'd like us to kill for him, for a price, of course."

The girl's shoulders tense noticeably, causing Bankotsu to wonder why. Jakotsu seemed to have noticed as well and asked "Why, is there someone he does want to kill? Someone you want to save, huh? Another lover? Yes! That's it! You fell in love with someone and the Lord became jealous! Jealous enough to want to kill this man, perhaps?

"No. You're completely off the mark." The girl's tone, much like when she had talked to the guard, left no room for discussion. "All right then, spill. Who _does_ he want to kill?" Bankotsu asks, now slightly interested.

"No one, he just—," she sighs, "he just wants to find someone."

"Someone you care about?"

"Yes."

"But not a lover?"

"No."

Bankotsu wasn't all too sure why, but for some reason this new information made him a little happy. "So then why," Jakotsu begins, "did that guard take orders from you?"

"Because, I am Akihiro's daughter."

**A/N: There's one of the new changes. Tell me what you think! **

**Pastry~**


	3. The Great Escape

Jakotsu and Bankotsu stare openly at the girl, processing her words and wondering if they were true.

"I don't believe you." Jakotsu states plainly. "I mean, you don't look like a princess at all. Shouldn't you be wearing the best clothing you can buy?" Bankotsu thought that was a valid argument. All the other princesses he had ever met, and that was a lot, were always wearing the most expensive silks money could buy. Where as with this girl was dressed in what seemed to be peasant garb, a simple blue kimono that looked clean, but also ragged and worn. Definitely not the clothes of a princess.

"That's because I'm not a princess, genius."

The two gave her perplexed looks, so the girl decided to continue, "I'm a bastard. You know, an illegitimate child. Akihiro knocked up my mother when she worked here as a maid."

"So then why are you here? And if you're not a princess, then why did that samurai actually listen to you?"

"What's your name even?" Bankotsu asks, stopping Jakotsu from continuing his rant of questions. Giving the leader of the Band of Seven a calculating look before responding, "My name's Ayame, and yours is?"

"I am Bankotsu, and this is Jakotsu."  
"A pleasure to meet you." She drawls before pausing. "And what kind of questions are those? Where else am I supposed to be?"

Jakotsu bristles at her words, feeling attacked. "Hey! It's a valid question! You're a bastard, after all, why are you still living with your father?"

"Trust me when I say it's not of my own volition. If I could leave here, I would." Ayame said wistfully, looking away from the two men and out towards something far away. "It's not like I have money of my own," she continues, "Akihiro doesn't even give me wages because he knows the minute I had enough saved I would leave, he would never risk that."

"Why?" Bankotsu asks.

"He just wants to keep me close. He likes using me as a bodyguard, a free one, that is."

"You're a body guard?"

She shrugs, "Sort of, I know how to fight and defend, but I'm not a soldier. I've never fought in a battle."

"Are you good?"

"Sure." Another shrug.

Bankotsu gives her a certain look before pondering what it would be like to have a girl in the group. Then again, it wouldn't be the Band of Seven anymore if she joined. It'd be the Band of Eight, and somehow that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

"And your father doesn't give you any wages? That sucks." Jakotsu states.

"Yeah, well, he keeps me on a tight leash." Silence erupts between the three of them. Ayame runs her free hand through her hair, her sleeve falling upward by the movement. Bankotsu notices she's been wearing arm guards this whole time, seems like she wasn't lying about being a body guard. The thought had crossed his mind.

Turning the hilt of the sword over and over in her hand, Ayame shifts her weight from foot to foot. "Well then, that was fun, I'll see you two around. Stay out of trouble. Okay?"

With a small wave, Ayame starts off the same direction the samurai had gone. Watching her go, Bankotsu hesitates before shaking his head, turning around, and walking back the way the two had originally came from, Jakotsu following close behind.

The rest of the Band, minus Kyokotsu, were gathered together in the center of the village market waiting for the return of their leader. When Bankotsu was in sight, Renkotsu's eyes rolled discreetly before he asked, "What held you up, brother?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." Bankotsu replies coolly. "We should get going. I want my money from that coward of a Lord in the West."

The six of them began to make their way towards the edge of the village, not concerned at all that the sun would be setting in just a couple of hours. The Band of Seven aren't afraid of the things that go bump in the night. However, before they could pass through the village's fortifications, several men clad in full armor on top of horses block the Band's way.

"Are you men known as the Band of Seven?" One of the men asks, looking over all the members.

Bankotsu heaves a sigh before stepping towards the men and stabs the ground with his Banryuu before answering in an annoyed tone, "Yeah, so what it to you?" Bankotsu was tired of being stopped by samurai in this village. His patience was wearing thin. Any more pressure on that patience and he might have to start cutting off heads.

"You are to come with us, Lord Akihiro wishes to speak with you."

"Did that bitch rat us out after all?" Jakotsu harshly whispers to Bankotsu. Bankotsu just shrugs him off, though, thinking it much more likely the guard from earlier had been that rat and not Ayame.

"What for?" Renkotsu asks, his voice rough and intimidating.

"His Lordship would like to hire you, of course."

While Renkotsu backs off after hearing this, Bankotsu's mouth turns into a deep frown, thinking back to what Ayame had said earlier about not wanting Akihiro to find someone. Would that be what the Lord wanted them to do? If that was the case, Bankotsu would decline. Not because Ayame would be mad or upset because of it—that thought never crossed his mind—no, it'd be because that's not what the Band of Seven _did_. They were mercenaries, not dogs on a scent. However, because there was a chance that this Lord did want them to kill some people, it would be worth their while to hear him out. Kyokotsu would just have to wait out there in the field for a bit longer, he'd be fine with that.

Nodding his head, Bankotsu motioned for the Band to follow the samurai back into the village and towards the castle. After picking up and shouldering his Banryuu, they were on their way.

The six of them along with their samurai guard arrived quickly at the castle and were soon hustled into a large open room. A burly, imposing man sat behind a table filled with an abundance of food. Currently the man was digging into his bowl of rice. It was obvious by his clothes alone that this man was Akihiro. Akihiro put his now empty bowl down, wiped his face, and looked over the Band. "So which one of you young men is the leader?"

"That would be me."

"That would be me—what?"

"What?"

"Brother, I believe he is implying that you should add a sign of respect after after addressing him, like 'sir' or 'Lord' or the like." Renkotsu supplied the very confused Bankotsu.

"Oh, I see! Yeah, that won't be happening, get over it."

Akihiro shifts slightly on his mat before nodding towards one of the samurai still in the room. The man leaves the room quickly and returns a few moments later with Ayame close behind. Ayame glances over the Band, her eyes lingering on Bankotsu and catching the eye of Renkotsu.

"Ah, Ayame, I wanted you to be here for this. Now, mercenary, I have a job for you. Are you and your men up for it?"

"That depends, what is it you want us to do?"

"I need you to find someone—"

"No." Bankotsu interrupts, causing Ayame's head to snap up and stare straight at Bankotsu.

"_What_? How dare you interrupt me, you—you peasant! Such insolence! I'll have your head, boy!"

"We're a group of mercenaries, your Lordship. We kill people. We don't find them."

A muffled snort came from Ayame's direction, a small smile on her lips. Akihiro clicks his tongue before continuing in a calmer manner.

"I will make it worth your while. Name your prince."

"I've all ready told you—"

"Don't decide now. Think it over, sleep on it even. Rooms will be prepared for you and your men. You can eat 'til your stomachs burst. Tell me your decision tomorrow. Please, just think about it."

Without waiting for a response, the Lord waves them away. Not one to pass up a free meal and board, Bankotsu walks out of the room, Band in tow, following a servant who waited for them outside the room. Looking back, Bankotsu frowns when he catches a glimpse of Akihiro roughly grabbing Ayame by her forearm.

As soon as the servant left the Band to their rooms, Renkotsu walked over to his leader and asked, "We're not seriously considering this, are we?"

"Of course not, Renkotsu, but I wasn't about to pass up free food."

"What about that girl?"

"Hmm? What about her?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Oh, she's that guy's daughter. She's illegitimate, or something, though. I think she knows where to find whoever the Lord wants, too, but she won't tell him."

"I see, who do you think it is?"

"Who cares?" Bankotsu shrugs before turning back and walking into his room. Even though he shrugged it off, Bankotsu was wondering the same thing. Who was it that Ayame didn't want her father to find? Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, he rests his Banryuu up against the wall and begins to strip down for the night.

After having taken off his armor, Bankotsu situated himself on his sleeping mat, ready for a good nights rest. The idea wasn't long lived, however, when after what seemed like an hour or staring up at the ceiling, Bankotsu groaned inwardly before rolling off the mat and heading back outside for a walk. He didn't make it far when he caught sight of Ayame leaning against a wall not too far from where he was walking.

Checking to make sure none of his men were in the area, Bankotsu made his way over to the young woman and coughed deeply, letting her know he was there. Ayame's gaze rested on him for a moment, taking him in, before smiling slightly. "Hey,"

"Yo."

"Sorry Akihiro roped you into staying the night. He doesn't like hearing no."

"Yeah, that was kind of obvious."

"What would you have done?"

"Huh?"

"What would you have done if he tried to kill you? You know, by beheading you. Would you have killed him?"

"Yes."

His lack of hesitation causes Ayame to make eye contact with him. Her brows knit together and she bites down on her lower lip, stopping herself from saying something. Bankotsu leans over her and rests his right forearm over her head, looking down into her eyes. A question bubbles to the surface of his mind, and before he can push the though away he asks, "Who does he want to find? Who are you so worried about?"

Breaking eye contact, Ayame tucks a rogue strand of hair behind her ear before answering. "He's looking for my mother and brother."

"Your mother had two children with that bastard?" He asks, astounded by the very idea, and also wondering why Ayame's mother and brother weren't here with her. Then suddenly it dawned on him.

"That's why Akihiro keeps you on such a tight leash, or give you wages, you know where they are."

"Yeah, and he's been trying to hell-bent the past few weeks to find out where they are."

"Why?"

"His legitimate son, Atsuo, became sick a few weeks back. With his heir's life in such a delicate state, he needs a spare in case the original dies."

"That's harsh."

Ayame lets out a harsh laugh. "That's my father."

"Why did your mother leave anyway?"

"I don't remember, really, she probably just wanted to get away from Akihiro." She shrugs, but Bankotsu doesn't completely understand.

"When did she leave?"

"Around five years ago."

"So you were..."

"Twelve, why?"

"Why didn't she take you with her?"

Ayame gives another shrug, looking anywhere but at Bankotsu, "She didn't have enough money for the three of us, and she couldn't leave my brother behind. He was just a child."

"But she could leave you behind?"

"Apparently."

It was that tone again, the one that ended all conversation. Bankotsu gives a shrug himself, still looking down at the young girl. Raising the arm that isn't being used to brace himself, Bankotsu bring his left hand to Ayame's cheek, lightly stroking his thumb over her skin. Ayame blushes darkly, and hesitantly bring her gaze back to his.

"Do you want to escape this place?" Bankotsu asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

The young woman nods, too stunned to speak. Was he asking what she thought he was asking?

"You can come with us, if you want."

"Akihiro won't let me go that easily."

Bankotsu smirks, not worried at all by that man. "I could take on his entire army by myself. I don't think he's anything to worry about."

"But," she begins, "what would I do? Become a mercenary?"

"If you want. Then I guess we'd be the Band of Eight instead of seven, unless I kicked Kyokotsu out of the group, he's kind of useless."

"I don't think I want to be a mercenary. Maybe I can do something else?"

"Sure, just so long as you carry your weight after the first couple weeks. I know you don't have any money to your name, so I'll help you out for a little while in the beginning. Just try to find some work to do in the next village we visit." His smirk widens. Ayame's eyes are bright and large. She nods vigorously, "Of course! I'll pay you back every cent!"

Taking his hand off her cheek, she cups his one hand in the both of hers and brings it to her lips, lightly kissing the back of his hand. "Thank you, Bankotsu. I'm in your debt."

Bankotsu chuckles lightly, taking his hand away. "I'll call in that debt some day." Ayame smiles brightly at him, a slight blush returning to her cheeks. "You know, we should probably leave tonight, it'll be easier for us. Give us more of a head start so Akihiro can't follow us or try to stop us." Ayame nods. "I'll go wake my men. Meet us by the stream from earlier today in half an hour, okay?"

"All right, but be careful. Don't all go at once. The guards won't be suspicious if one or two of you trickle that way at a time, but more than that and they'll begin to think. Akihiro won't appreciate you leaving in the middle of the night."

Bankotsu laughs, "I'm sure he won't appreciate me taking you with us either, doesn't matter. Now let's go." Turning back the way he came, Bankotsu can't help but smile wide when he hears a soft "Thank you," from Ayame before she starts down the opposite direction to gather some supplies. Forcing herself to walk calmly back to her room, Ayame feels as if a huge burden has been lifted off her shoulders. She'll finally be able to leave. She'll finally be rid of her father. She'll finally be free.

**A/N: I feel really good about this chapter, so some feedback would help that feeling of goodness grow ;)**

**Pastry~**


	4. Touching

The six members of the Band, along with Ayame, hustled quickly through the forest in the dark, not bothering to attempt to quiet their running footsteps. They ran in the direction of their last battle field, wanting to get to Kyokotsu, rest up a bit, and be on their way to collect money from the Lord in the West.

Hardly panting, Bankotsu cats a quick glance behind his shoulder to make sure Ayame was keeping up. Feeling a slight shove on his arm, his attention was drawn to Jakotsu who was running beside him. "Think the bitch can keep up?"  
"Of course I can," Ayame calmly begins, on the other side of Bankotsu now, "I'd go faster, but I don't really know where I'm going, now do I?"

Jakotsu sticks his tongue out at the girl, not quite yet used to her presence. The sven of them ran the rest of the way in silence, only stopping when they saw Kyokotsu sitting in the clearing. Not a single body was left, all had been devoured by the giant and only scattered pieces of armor hinted that this was indeed the same clearing.

"Brothers! You've returned. Took you long enough." Kyokotsu jokes, smiling wide. Then asks, "Who's she?"

"Right, you guys, I want you to meet Ayame." Bankotsu introduces, the Band barely able to see one another, the only light source coming from the moon light and the delicate flares coming from Renkotsu's attempts at starting a fire. Finally the fire was bright enough for everyone to see one anothers face. Ayame had to stifle a gasp at some of their faces. "Ayame," Bankotsu starts, "Here's the entirety of the Band of Seven. You know Jakotsu, Renkotsu, and there's Suikotsu, Ginkotsu, Moukotsu and finally Kyokotsu." Ayame had to force herself not to stare at one specific man for too long, but her attention kept being drawn by Kyokotsu's height and Mukotsu's face. Back in the meat shop, Ayame had glanced over them and had seen Ginkotsu's tragic body, but Mukotsu had been wearing a white cloth over his face, covering his hideous mouth and distracted her from his large, yet beady eyes.

Mouth opening slowly, Ayame had to force herself to look back to Bankotsu before muttering a small "Hello".

"Ayame will be traveling with us from now on."

"What? So now we're the Band of Eight?" Jakotsu asks indignantly.

"Nah, she won't be fighting with us. She'll find work in the villages we visit."

"Then why doesn't she just settle down in one of those villages?"

Bankotsu and Ayame shared a quick look before Bankotsu continued. "Just because, all right?"

Their leader's tone stopped any more questions from the Band, at least for the rest of the night. Bankotsu wasn't too sure if Ayame was all right with letting the rest of the Band know about her situation with her father. Bankotsu and Ayame had both agreed that she'd continue on with the Band with the intent of making her harder to find by the scum Lord.

Shuffling into their own separate sleeping arrangements, Ayame headed over to Bankotsu, who was curled up in between the fire and the edge of the forest. Bankotsu watched as the girl began to lay down next to him. "Thanks again, Bankotsu," she reaches out to touch his hand, then catches herself and retracts her hand, "I really appreciate you helping me." Bankotsu stares at her for a long while before muttering "No problem,". The two stared at each other for a while longer, wondering who will make the next move. Neither do, however, instead they both close their eyes and fall into dreamless slumber.

The next morning, after the Band had woken and breakfasted, the eight of them made their way back towards the west where they would be collecting their dues from the Lord there. The trek was made in comfortable silence with Ayame and Bankotsu walking closely next to one another, accidentally brushing up against one another from time to time. Renkotsu watched with jealous eyes whenever these brushes occurred. He wanted to be the receiving end of a woman's attention for once instead of Bankotsu. Ayame could really like him, if she ever gave him the chance. But no, no one ever thinks of the smart guy, they always go for the leader. Renkotsu grumbles at the thought.

After several more hours, the Band and Ayame arrive at the village gates. Nodding to the guards, Bankotsu motions for his men to walk ahead and pulls Ayame back. Once the rest of the Band is a far enough distance away, Bankotsu asks, "You ready for this?"

Ayame smiles brightly at his questions, on the verge of bouncing up and down, and replies "I honestly can't wait. I've been dreaming about working for myself my entire life."

The Band leader smirks at her before bending down and lightly brushing his lips against her own, not quite a kiss, but definitely more than a friendly hug. Ayame's breath hitches and she can feel herself redden like a tomato. Without pulling away, Bankotsu mumbles onto her lips, "Well then, what's keep'n ya?"

Laughing self-consciously, Ayame pulls away, the opposite of what Bankotsu thought she would do, and begins to walk into the village without looking behind her at the distracting mercenary leader. Bankotsu walked two paces behind her for several steps before easily catching up to her and bumping her shoulder. Bumping him back, the two smiled to themselves, wondering what the future will bring them.

**A/N: Yes, it's short. Sorry, but it was a struggle to get just that out. Anyway, comments are always appreciated and I might be interested in a beta reader so if anyone's interested hit me up!**

**Pastry~**


	5. A New Development

As they entered into the village, the group immediately split up. Ayame ran off to find suitable work, while the Band split in half, half going to confront the Lord of the West, and the other half going to find lodgings for their stay as well as stocking up on supplies for when they move on from this village. Bankotsu, Jakotsu and Renkotsu make their way to the castle to collect the money, waving to the others as they break off. Bankotsu smirks as he notices the guards of the castle begin to fidget upon their arrival.

No one tries to stop the three of them from walking towards the throne room. Most people quickly get out of their way, all too aware of the power just these three men have. Opening the door to the throne room, the Lord snorts on his tea, not expecting this intrusion. After cleaning himself up a bit, the Lord clears his throat before addressing the mercenaries, "So, you survived. I take it this means my enemies are dead, yes?"

"Of course. The entire army was taken care of. Now, if you'll just give us our pay we'll be on our way."

The Lord purses his lips, thinking of greed, before nodding curtly and calling for his attendant to bring in the gold. Once the attendant comes back with the money, Bankotsu grabs it and turns to leave. "You're not going to count it?" The Lord asks.

"Nah, if I find you short changed us, it's not like I don't know where to fins you."

Not waiting for his reaction, Bankotsu leads the other two back out to the village with the intent of helping his comrades with the errands, wondering if Ayame has found work yet.

**OoO**

Ayame was having some luck today. She had already completed four random jobs before she went back to the inn Suikotsu had told her they were staying at for the night. Although what she earned wasn't too much, it was enough for a room at the inn—she knew the Band wouldn't put her up—and a couple of meals. Definitely not a lot, but enough to get her to another town with the Band. Who knows, if they decided to stay a couple more nights in this village, she could raise even more.

After paying the inn keeper for the first night, Ayame went out to look for the Band. Not too surprising, she found them in their room, eating up a feast. As soon as she walked in the room, Jakotsu groaned, thinking he'd have to share his food with the girl. Glaring at the cross dresser, she sits next to Bankotsu, asking, "What's his problem this time?"

Bankotsu shrugs before replying, "He thinks you're going to eat his food." Ayame rolls her eyes, "I'm not going to eat your food. Look," she says holding up her small pouch filled with coins, "I've got my own money now, I don't need to steal your food. When I' hungry I'll buy my own."

Jakotsu says nothing, but does look a little sheepish now. Bankotsu brings her attention back to him by asking, "So what did you do to get that money?"

"Just a few odd jobs here and there. A guard from the castle asked me to help him find a criminal that ran off under his watch. He didn't want his Lord to find out, so he paid me to help him. It wasn't too hard. He was hanging out by the front gate, waiting for the guard switch to escape. That's where most of my money came from. I taught a pair of brothers how to perform some beginners offensive and defensive sword moves. Then I returned a lost little girl to her mother, and helped an old man clean up his shop." She shrugs, "Nothing major."

Bankotsu nods, returning his attention to the food in front of him. While the Band eats in silence, Ayame stretches her arms above her head, and heads out of the room, planning on asking the inn keeper to send some food to her room. Upon finding him however, he is not alone. He's surrounded by at least five other bodies, all gossiping with one another. Chuckling at their antics, Ayame can't help but ask, "What's got you all in such a twitter?"

The keeper looks up startled, but then relaxes when he sees that it is just a girl. Coughing into his sleeve, the man answers, "Well miss, the news has just reached us, it seems the Lord of a village just south of us, Lord Akihiro, has had a terrible occurrence. His son and heir, Atsuo, I believe his name was, has just recently passes away."

Ayame's breath gets caught in her throat. She almost can't believe Atsuo's dead. Although she never talked to her half brother all that much, she still knew he was a good man, much better than their father. A new thought emerges into her head: now that Atsuo is dead, Akihiro will definitely try to track her down to discover the whereabouts of her younger brother. Hopefully they''ll be leaving tomorrow and put even more distance between them and him.

Trying not to let the keeper know of her inner turmoil—she hopes it's not showing on her face—she asks him to bring her some supper before spinning on her heel and walking as fast as she can without suspicion back to the Band's room to tell Banotsu of this new development.

**A/N: Sorry it took a while for this to be updated. Hope you like. Let me know what you thought.**

**Pastry~ **


	6. Safe and Secure

"Bankotsu!" Ayame hissed into the dark room, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. She let out a small sigh of relief when she heard a grunt and some movement from the left handed corner of the room. Bankotsu shuffled out, his hair flowing freely down his waist instead of being pulled into his neat braid. After a couple more grunts from the mercenary, he rubbed his eyes and asked Ayame why she woke him.

"Atsuo is dead."

"Who?"

"Atsuo. Akihiro's son and heir. The one that was sick. He's dead now, do you know what this means, Bankotsu?" He'll want my brother now more than ever."

"You're brother is safe, Ayame. Akihiro doesn't know where he is, only you do."

A look flashed over Ayame's face, but Bankotsu caught it before she could mask her face once more. It was a look or worry and fear, but not for her brother. At least, Bankotsu didn't think it was for her brother. No, Ayame knew as long as she stayed strong her brother would be safe. She would never tell, even if Akihiro threatened to kill her, or torture her, her brother will always be safe. However, Ayame's worry comes from her new found friendship with the members of the Band. Given, she hasn't gotten to know many of them too well yet, except for Bankotsu, but she doesn't want any of them to be put in danger because of their association to her. She doesn't know what she would do if her father threatened Bankotsu's life in exchange for the location of her brother. And that's what scared her the most.

Pulling her into an embrace, Bankotsu rests her head beneath his chin, clutching her body close to his in reassurance. "Don't worry Ayame, he won't get to you. I won't let him near you."

Wrapping her own arms around Bankotsu's torso, Ayame squeezes him back, wishing for all their troubles to disappear. "It's not me I''m worried about Bankotsu. What if he comes after you?"

Bankotsu laughs, the rumble reverberating in Ayame's body. Grasping her chin and making her look him in the eyes, Ayame's breath catches in her throat, noticing how close his mouth is to hers now. "Ayame," he murmurs, "you don't have too worry about me. I can take care of myself." He smirks, "I'm kind of bad ass if you haven't noticed."

Ayame laughs lightly, relaxing at his words. He's right, she thinks, he's a powerful mercenary and can take care of himself. Snuggling back into his embrace, Ayame can't help but think about how safe and secure she feels in his arms and hopes that the feeling will never go away.

**A/N: Now the fun begins... :)**

**Pastry~**


	7. Swindled

The weeks begin to fly by and Ayame can't help but relax into a state of security, thinking that Bankotsu was right when he said she wouldn't have to worry about her father. Ever since the news of Atsuo's death reached her, Ayame hasn't heard anything about her father. Not about his search for his illegitimate heir, the panic his region must be in, not even a peep about the funeral had reached her ears. Hopefully this meant he gave up on her.

Then again, probably not.

Still, Ayame thinks about how nice it is to not have a worry in the world at the moment. The only possible problem that could arise would be her expenses, and she's been saving her money well enough that soon she'll be able to repay Bankotsu for all his kindness and have enough left over for a couple days.

The Band are once again in a new village, hearing news about a possible civil war about to break out against the Lord. Rumor has it plague has taken most of the Lord's guards into the spirit world. They decided it'd be an easy sum of money to squash down the rebellion for the Lord. Ayame didn't like the idea that they'd be fighting the people of this region as opposed to an actual army. Sure, she was glad it'd be easy and there was little to no threat, but she knows what it feels like to have a tyrant for a Lord. He probably deserves it, she thinks. If it were up to her, Ayame would swindle the Lord of his money and leave him to the anger and revenge of his people, but this is Renkotsu's plan, and she'd rather not get on his bad side. She's noticed the sideways glances he sometimes gives her and it unsettles her.

"So, Ayame, do you have any jobs set up yet?" Bankotsu asks, casually walking into her room in the castle that the Lord gave to each of them. She huffs in frustration and leans back from her sitting position so that she is lying on the ground. "Right. Yeah. I have loads of jobs lined up for me today, because all these villagers want to do is hire someone when they can hardly feed themselves."

"Oh, right." Bankotsu grunts, rubbing the back of his head for a moment before sitting down next to her. Running his fingers gently through her hair, he continued, "That's a bit of a shame, I guess."

The two remain in deafening silence, just staring at one another, until Ayame opens her mouth to speak, thinks again, and closes it. This goes on for the next ten minutes until Bankotsu stops her by rolling onto the floor next to her and laughing. Ayame scowls at him until he's finished, "Get on with it already! What is it that's on your mind?"

"I just—I just don't like what you're all doing here."

"Ayame, you know we're mercenaries. We kill people all the time. This time isn't any different."

"Yes, it is! Bankotsu, these aren't trained soldiers! They're completely defenseless. Besides, it sounds like this Lord of theirs is a real ass. He shouldn't get away with how he treats his people."

"Maybe, maybe not. Who're we to decide that? Besides it's easy money."

Ayame stayed quiet for just a moment before turning her head away from Bankotsu and mumbling. "There's an easier way to get his money."

"Oh, really? Well I'm all ears."

"We just have to swindle the Lord."

"What? Petty theft? We're not thieves, Ayame, we're mercenaries. And trust me, killing people is easier than stealing from them."

"We wouldn't just be stealing from him. That would mean that we'd be sneaking into his castle or something. All you'd have to do would be act normal, gather the money upfront and then instead of killing the people, we'd just leave."

"Yeah, maybe, but no way would he ever pay us upfront. If anything, he'd just pay us half now, half when the job is finished."

"But didn't you say that he's under a lot of pressure from the peasants? People don't always think clearly when they're under so much stress. The least you could do is try, you know. Those people don't deserve to die."

"A lot of people don't deserve to die, Ayame, doesn't mean they don't."

"You think I don't know that, Bankotsu?"

No more words pass between the two. Instead, Ayame averts her eyes to the ceiling and Bankotsu stands up to leave. Neither says a word as he does so. Ayame frowns, wishing he would've listened to her. She doesn't want to hear the screaming from the villagers once the Band begins their slaughter. Standing up, she packs up her things and walks out of the castle to find one of the members of the Band. Preferably one that isn't Renkotsu, or Bankotsu either, at the moment. Finding Suikotsu on the outskirts of the village, Ayame waves him over from his viewing spot and tells him she'll be waiting for them in them along the path leading out of the village straight ahead. The job will be finished by the end of the night, she knows, so they'll just meet up with her when they're finished. Without waiting for him to ask her why, Ayame heads on her way.

The Band catches up to her much sooner than Ayame would've ever expected. Must've been a complete slaughter, she thinks. It's hardly past sundown. What could've happened? Did no one fight at all? Did they all line up for their deaths silently? Bankotsu walks up to her and takes her chin in his hands, forcing her to look at him. A large smile is on his face, and Ayame finally realizes there's not a drop of blood on the mercenary. Usually after their killing, they're drowning in their victim's blood.

"What happened?"

"You were right about people under stress. They definitely don't think straight."

Ayame's mouth falls open with a small pop. So they didn't kill the villagers. Bankotsu went with her idea. The villagers are safe. A smile even wider than Bankotsu's appears on her face, and before the leader knows what has hit him, Ayame wraps her arms around his neck kisses him hard. She pulls away, smile still on her face, when Bankotsu pulls her back up for another kiss. This one earning many jeers and hollers from the other members of the Band.

**A/N: FINALLY! I was able to update. Dear God, I've had a test almost every week since starting school and I feel like I'm about to die. Anyway, hope you enjoy and maybe review?**

**~Pastry**


	8. The Past that Haunts

Another week passed before the Band of Seven finally settled on their next job. During that week, Ayame and Bankotsu were joined at the hip. Most members of the Band ignored the two love birds, but one in particular seethed with jealousy. Renkotsu couldn't stand to see the two of them together. He thought Bankotsu unworthy of Ayame's affection, but didn't dare speak a word of his frustration in fear of his leader's power.

Ayame noticed the strange looks Renkotsu would sometimes shoot at her, but didn't understand the reason behind it. She decided not to ask him about it, however, instead she would igore the looks. If they became more than just looks, then she'll have to do something, but until then she didn't see any harm.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Ayame looks around the new room she'll be staying in for their temporary stay. Strong, tan arms wrap themselves around her shoulders and Bankotsu placed his chin on the top of her head. "What're you thinking about?"

Leaning back into his chest, Ayame smiles before replying, "Not much, really."

Bankotsu tilts his head to hum into her ear, nipping lightly at the lobe. "You know what _I'm_ thinking?" he asks. Ayame laughs, turning in his arms to face him and wraps her arms around his waist.

"You know I'd love to stay here with you," she mumbles against his lips. Bankotsu lets out a small whine, attempting to lean forward to take her lips with his own, "but," she continues, "I already have a job lined up, and I don't want to be late. You know I've almost saved enough to pay you back."

Sighing, Bankotsu let his arms drop away from her. "Fine, go then." Ayame smiled softly at the mercenary, leaning up to brush her lips against his.

"When I get back, though, we'll have the entire night together."

Bankotsu laughed before exiting the room. Ayame looked after him for a couple of seconds before getting ready to leave. She grabbed her sword and adjusted her armguards, making sure the right one was the one with the hidden switchblade. Other than those weapons and replacing her sandals for boots, Ayame hardly changed her outfit. This job was just a simple extermination of a couple of lesser demons. The job itself wasn't very difficult, but she would be paid handsomely for it. With one last check to make sure she had everything, Ayame headed out.

* * *

The sun had set by the time Ayame finished with the infestation. Luckily for her, the villagers lit candles all around the village, giving Ayame some form of light to walk by. She was just around the corner from the inn when she heard the sound of fast footsteps heading her way. Placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, Ayame turned around to see who was coming.

Two dark silhouettes ran towards her. Swords in their hands were reflected by the light of the moon. Pulling out her own sword, Ayame braced herself. The two figures were fast, and soon Ayame clashed metal on metal with one of them. Before she could do more than push the first assailant back, the second man came down on her, slashing his sword at her neck. She dodged, turning her attention to the second man, but was taken by surprise when the first man rammed his shoulder into her chest, knocking her off her balance.

Ayame kicked him off of her, trying to take in some air. Before she could stand up, however, the second man brought the butt of his sword down against her head. Ayame's world went black.

* * *

When Ayame finally came to, her head was killing her. Taking an extra second for several deep breaths, Ayame noticed she was in a fine looking room. Sitting up—which did not help her head—she heard someone outside the door. A moment later the door slid open.

"No," she whispered.

"Oh, yes, my dear. Now," Akihiro bent down to look his daughter in the eye, "be a good girl and tell me where your brother is hiding."

**A/N: Winter break is here, and I'm gonna finish this story before this year's end!**

**Pastry~**


	9. The Start of Something New

Bankotsu paced around the entrance to the inn, waiting for Ayame to return. The mission should have taken this long, he thinks, she should have been back here hours ago. Groaning out in frustration, Bankotsu turns on his heel, "I'm heading out!" he barks to the Band. Jakotsu pops his head out from a room, his eyes drooping with sleep.

"Where are you going, big brother?"

"To find Ayame, she's been gone for too long."

"Ugh, right. I guess I'll go with you."

"Me, too," Renkotsu speaks up, following Jakotsu out of the room.

Bankotsu smiles brightly at the two of them, thinking he couldn't have better friends. The three of them head out into the night, walking towards the home Ayame was supposed to be exercising. They walked for almost five minutes before Renkotsu noticed markings on the ground.

"Big brother, wait," he bends down and traces the upheaved earth with his hand.

"What is it?" Bankotsu asks.

"There was a fight here. Two against one from the looks of it."

"Do you think one of them was Ayame?" Jakotsu asks, "Then again, who would attack her?" he ponders aloud. At the words, Bankotsu stiffens, "I think I know: her father. He must've sent people after her."

"They must've over powered her," Renkotsu states. "Big brother, there's some blood here too. Not a lot, but still."

Bankotsu curses under his breath, fury igniting behind his eyes. He begins to walk back to the inn, not stopping to inform his companions what he has in mind. The two of them follow without question. As soon as they return to the inn, Bankotsu grabs his Banryuu and barks out orders to his gang of mercenaries.

"Everyone up! Grab your gear and some food. We're leaving. Now."

"What? Brother, what's going on?" Suikotsu asks.

"Ayame's been kidnapped," Renkotsu answers for him.

"And we're getting her back," Jakotsu adds.

Without further ado, the Band began to gather their things, not at all concerned that they're bailing on another job. If their leader is going after Ayame, they were going to back him up.

* * *

Ayame's head snapped to the side when Akihiro's hand came into contact with it. The beatings began as soon as she was awake and her breathing was turning shallow. Akihiro unleashed all his anger towards her, beating her with sticks, his fists, whips, even small daggers. Her back was now marred with multiple lashes, her clothing seeped with her own blood, and still Ayame would not tell him where her brother hid. She would protect him until her very last breath.

A part of her mind whispered to her to tell him. Her brother would have a good life now that Akihiro's heir was dead. He would become the lord of a wealthy land. He could have his pick when it came to the woman he'd want to marry. He would never have to worry about food or shelter ever again. The voice continued to whisper the many pros of telling her father her brother's whereabouts, and she was tempted several of times; even opening her mouth to speak on many occasions, but then stopped herself ever time. Yes, her brother would receive many things if he was named Akihiro's heir, but then she would remember what it was like for Atsuo growing up under this man. It was horrible. There were many beatings; daily, almost. Ayame even suspected that he poisoned himself so he could die. The few times she was allowed to visit him, he showed no signs of any usual illness, but she would never give up his secret to anyone. If he wanted a way out, she wasn't going to get in his way.

Another smack to her face brought Ayame's thoughts back to the present. Coughing, she spit up some blood that rushed into her mouth. Trying to take in some deep breaths, Ayame looks up at her father. Akihiro looked back down at her, a sneer on his face, "All of this will end, my dear, if you just tell me where my little bastard is."

"You keep using words like bastard and brat," she heaves out. "Do you even know his name?"

Akihiro gives her another slap, the sound of contact echoing in the room. "I'll take that as a no," she continues. The lord lets out a growl, grabbing his daughter by her hair and pulling her up to his eye level. Ayame lets out a small whimper, but otherwise stayed silent.

"This is your last chance. Tell me where your brother is or I'll start chopping off limbs. Perhaps I'll start with your fingers and work up your arm?" he says with a hint of laughter in his voice. Ayame looks back at him without fear. She won't let him even chop off a lock of her hair, she'd rather bite through her tongue and suffocate on her own blood.

Dropping Ayame on the floor, Akihiro walked over to grab a sword from a corner of the room. Ayame placed her teeth on her tongue, prepared to end it all when she heard movement outside the room. Akihiro stopped mid-walk and looked at the door. The paper door was bashed open by two of Akihiro's guards. "M'lord!" one of them starts, "we're under attack!"

"By whom?"

"We don't know! They don't carry any flags, m'lord!"

"How many are there?"

"Seven, m'lord."

Ayame's head snapped up at these words. Tears of relief fill her eyes. They came for her, she thinks. "What? How could seven men overcome my entire army? I had hundreds protecting this castle!"

"I don't know m'lord! They're not like normal men. They fight like demons!"

Before the lord could reply, wires flew into the room and tied around one of the two soldiers. The soldier was able to let out half a scream before the wires set ablaze and set the man on fire. The second soldier stood in front of his lord, sword drawn. Bankotsu walked calmly into the room. Quickly glancing over at Ayame and determining for himself she was alive, he turned his attention back to Akihiro and his guard.

"You!" Akihiro cries out, recognizing the young man before him.

"Yeah," Bankotsu starts, "me."

"I'll pay you whatever you want if leave this place at once!"

"You think I want your money?" Bankotsu practically spits out. "I may be a mercenary, but I still have some honor, and I would never take money from a bastard like you."

Akihiro howls in rage, the soldier in front of him raises his sword and runs towards Bankotsu. Drawing herself up onto her knees, Ayame activates her switch blade and cuts through the ropes binding her arms and then cuts the ones tying her feet together. Staggering to her feet, she looks up to see Bankotsu easily twirl Banryuu over his head before slashing at the soldier, cutting off the man's head. Akihiro takes a step backwards, away from the mercenaries gathered in the broken entryway, still not noticing his daughter's escape. Limping towards her father, Ayame walks up behind him, and without hesitation, stabs him in the back with her hidden weapon, making sure to feel the break of his spine before whispering in his ear, "His name is Akio, and you'll never get your hands on him you bastard."

Ayame lets his body fall unceremoniously to the ground and looks up to Bankotsu. He quickly strides towards her and gathers her into his arms tightly. Ayame whimpers in pain, making him pull back. Noticing the blood on his forearms where they touched her back, Bankotsu growls and turns her around to see the cuts in fabric. Opening the tears in her clothing tenderly, he sees the open wounds on her back. Bankotsu winces in sympathy before asking, "Can you walk?" She nods slowly, not having enough energy to respond verbally. Wrapping his arm around her waist, trying to avoid the lashes, Bankotsu helps Ayame walk out of the room with the rest of the Band following them.

* * *

After a month on the mend, Ayame was finally back to normal, with the exception of the multiple scars now adorning her back. Bankotsu noticed that with the death of her father, Ayame seemed lighter and more carefree, like she was no longer holding the weight of the world on her shoulders. The two of them were currently in Ayame's room, sipping on some tea. Setting his cup down, Bankotsu scooted closer to Ayame with a certain look in his eyes. Noticing his look, Ayame put her cup down as well and leaned into Bankotsu. Their mouths clashed, Bankotsu deepening the kiss by placing his hand on the back of Ayame's head and leaning forward, leading her down to the floor.

Ayame placed her hand on Bankotsu's neck, playing with the fabric of his collar. Groaning at her light touch, Bankotsu moved his own hands to her waist, playing with the tie keeping her clothes closed. Before he could undress her, Ayame placed her hand on top of his, pulling away from him.

"Bankotsu,"

"Hmm? What is it?" he asks, moving his mouth over her cheek, kissing his way down to her neck. Blushing at his ministrations, Ayame continues, "You know I'm a bastard."

"Technically," he replies before sucking on her earlobe. Inhaling sharply, she tries to focus on what she's trying to say.

"Yes, well I'd rather not sire one, you know?"

Pulling away now, Bankotsu looks down at her, a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just, I—I don't want to have sex out of wedlock…in the case that I do get pregnant." She looks away from him now, sure that he'll be angry with her. To her surprise, he begins to laugh.

"Well then," he begins, "I guess we'll just have to get married."

**A/N: One more chapter and then the epilogue! So close now! I hope you like this chapter. I thought it was a better one. Please let me know what you thought, R&R!**

**Pastry~ **


	10. The End

Ayame and Bankotsu hadn't yet told anyone in the Band about their plans to marry. Instead they acted like everything was normal, while heading out to a new destination. This time, however, Ayame led the way through the forests and trailways. Only Bankotsu knew where she was leading them, but he didn't know how they'd get there or even how long it would take. After three days of walking, the Band and Ayame came upon a small village. Taking Bankotsu's hand, Ayame quickly led him into the center of the village with a giant smile on her face.

The Band followed behind at a leisurely pace, not sure why Ayame was so excited. Ayame walked up to a small house and knocked on the door. "Hello?" she called out. The two could hear small footsteps pounding on the wooden floors heading towards them. A small boy, around the age of eleven, hurried out towards them. "Ayame!" he screamed out, running and jumping into her arms. "Akio," Ayame whispers out, catching her brother and holding him to her tightly. Tears of relief and happiness fall down her face. Akio looks up at his sister and calls back into the house, "Mother! Come quick!"

A woman runs out of the house, her long dark hair pulled up in a bun with strands falling out around her. Bankotsu can see the woman was quite beautiful in her youth, she's beautiful now, even, but instead of looking relieved, she looks angry and scared.

"Ayame, what are you doing here? Where's Akihiro? You didn't lead him here, did you? Did you? Answer me Ayame!"

The woman looks a bit deranged as she hounds her daughter for answers. Ayame frowns before replying, "Akihiro's dead, mother," she states. Tightening her hold on Akio, Ayame takes a small step backwards, bumping into Bankotsu's chest. Bankotsu, sensing her tension, places his hand on the small of her back. Ayame's mother was silent for a long moment, absorbing the news. Bankotsu thought she'd be relieved by the news—happy, even. Instead the woman looks horrified and upset. "Oh, yes," she begins, "Perhaps that's for the…for the best." She grounds out between her teeth, looking almost livid at her daughter. Without another word, she turns on her heel and walks back into the house.

"What was that about?" Bankotsu asks.

"Nothing, she'll get over it. She can be like that sometimes, like she doesn't remember how awful Akihiro was to her. She'll remember soon enough, and then she'll be ecstatic."

Bankotsu didn't quite understand, but he didn't press Ayame for more information. "Come on, let's head inside. I want to tell her about us," she smiles to Bankotsu, "that should make her happy. At least for a little while."

"What are you two talking about _now_? What else are you going to tell mother?" Akio asks, still holding onto his sister. Ayame drops him to the ground but holds onto his hand. "I'll tell you both at the same time, okay? And then we'll catch up. How's that sound Akio?"

Akio smiles up to Ayame and drags her by the hand deeper into the house where he knows their mother is hiding.

* * *

"Hey Big Brother, you excited to see you're little wifey?" Jakotsu asks, smirking at Bankotsu. Bankotsu smirked back, not caring that Jakotsu was trying to rile him up. He's too excited to get back to the village today after two weeks of being away. After their marriage, Ayame decided to stay in the village with her mother and brother, so that they'd have a place in the village ready for when they wanted to start a family. Bankotsu stayed for a month before the Band headed back out into the world to earn more money. They would never stay away for longer than a month, though. Bankotsu couldn't stand being away from Ayame for too long. The rest of the Band didn't mind, they liked having a place to go where they could get free food and shelter for any unspecified amount of time.

The Band walked into the village and headed straight for Ayame's house. Azumi, Ayame's mother, spotted them first. She smiled brightly at her son-in-law and walked up to the gang of mercenaries. "Bankotsu! I'm so glad you're back!" Bankotsu looks at her strangely. Usually she treats him with cold indifference. What could have happened to make her mood change so drastically? "Ugh, right," he says slowly. "Is Ayame back home?"

"Oh, yes, she's watching over Akio right now. You'd better hurry. She has a surprise for you."

Shrugging, Bankotsu makes his way towards the house while the rest of the Band wanders into the market to stock up on supplies. "Ayame?" Bankotsu calls into the house. He sees Ayame appear from a corner, running towards him. She tackles him in a hug, a broad smile on her face. He laughs, holding her tight, "Azumi tells me you have a surprise for me?" Ayame nods, her smile getting larger.

"I'm pregnant."

Eyes widening, Bankotsu recovers from shock and then returns her smile while letting out a laugh. After twirling his wife around twice, Bankotsu sets Ayame down and quickly gives her a kiss before leading her into the house to celebrate this new development.

* * *

Bankotsu drew small circles on Ayame's stomach, his head resting on her chest. Although her stomach was still pretty flat, but without any clothes on Bankotsu could see the beginnings of a small bump forming. Ayame weaves her fingers through his locks, free from the braid, and smiles. "Would you rather have a boy, or a girl?"

"Either is fine," he replies. "We'll have plenty of both."

"Oh?" she laughs. "How many children do you expect me to have for you?"

Bankotsu shrugs, "I was thinking five—maybe seven." Ayame laughs, "Quite the full house."

"And they'll all be strong. They'll all know how to fight. Even the girls, just like their mama." Ayame laughs again and kisses Bankotsu on the top of his head.

Someone in the village cried out, alarming Bankotsu and Ayame. The paper door to the room slid open. Jakotsu stood there, fully dressed with his sword hanging on his back. "Big brother! Bandits are attacking," he smiles manically. "Shall we teach them a lesson?" Bankotsu smirks and replies, "You bet. Get the Band ready. I'll be out in a minute." After the door slid back into place, Bankotsu began to put his clothes back on. Ayame watched for half a second before getting dressed herself. "What do you think you're doing?" Bankotsu asks.

"Getting dressed, same as you."

"You're not coming with us, you know that, right?"

"Of course, but I'm not going to wait around naked while you boys have fun. I'll wait up for you with my mother and Akio."

Bankotsu nodded his head, understanding that she'd want to be prepared in case something happened. Nothing would happen, though, Bankotsu knew nothing would. He and his Band would kill all those rogue men out there before they even knew what hit them. Bending over, he kissed Ayame lightly while giving her stomach a small squeeze. "I'll be back by sunrise."

* * *

Ayame sat facing the open entryway leading out into the night, her sword lying on her lap. Both her mother and brother brought their sleeping mats into the room directly behind Ayame so that she'd be able to keep a better eye on them. She wasn't worried, though. Ayame knew the Band would easily be able to take out the group of bandits, and from the sounds of it, they would be finishing off the last of the soon.

A creaking sound alerted Ayame to the intruder. His mere presence didn't unsettle her as much as how he got into the house without using the front entrance. Unsheathing her sword, Ayame slipped into the room where she heard the noise. Rounding the corner, Ayame cursed when she came face to face with five bandits.

* * *

True to his word, Bankotsu made it back to his home by sunrise with the Band in tow. "Ayame?" he called out. When he didn't hear any pitter-patter of feet on wood heading his way, Bankotsu grew concerned. However, he brushed it off, assuming the household was just sleeping. Walking deeper into the house, his breath caught in his throat. On the walkway laid the body of a bandit, his slit throat bled dry on the floor. Walking faster, Bankotsu passed two more dead bodies before reaching the farthest point. There was a hole leading outside in the back of the room, telling him how the men got in—though how they made the hole, Bankotsu didn't have time to think about.

In the middle of the room, Azumi's body was curled into a fetal position. Bankotsu could tell she was dead. He didn't give her a second glance. In the corner of the room, however, Ayame was on top of Akio's, shielding him from whatever attack was coming. Bankotsu ran up to the two of them and pulled Ayame's body into his arms. The center of her chest was pierced through—probably hitting her heart—and you could see where the sword went through her body and into Akio's, killing them both.

The rest of the Band filed out of the room silently, giving Bankotsu time to grieve alone. Although tears filled his eyes, they didn't fall. Bankotsu knew that one day they would. He knew that one day the pain would be too much and he'd want nothing more for it to end, but for now he didn't feel anything. Not anger, not sadness, just nothing. Looking down at Ayame, he brushed her bangs away, and then his hand wandered down to her stomach. The thought of their unborn child made his heart clench, the dam holding back his feelings almost breaking. It held fast, though, and Bankotsu laid his wife onto the floor and headed out to where his men were waiting.

"Brother," Jakotsu started, but one look from Bankotsu silenced him. Suikotsu cleared his throat and tried to pick up where Jakotsu left off, "What do we do now, Brother?"

Bankotsu was silent for a minute before responding, "We bury them, I guess," he rubbed the back of his neck, "And then we move on."

"Move onto where?" Renkotsu asked.

"Anywhere."

"Big Brother," Jakotsu tries again, but is cut off by Bankotsu. "Please, Jakotsu, I just want to bury them and forget this night ever happened, okay?"

All the members of the Band nod their heads, but all knowing that forgetting anything about what they just saw was never going to happen, especially not for their leader.

**A/N: So that's it! You all know the rest of the story: the band of seven became too powerful and all the warlords ganged up and killed them. I'm so glad this is finished and I hope you all enjoyed reading it but also I hope you thought the ending was good. Give me some feedback, yeah? Anyway, I know I said there would be an epilogue, but I thought it'd be redundant, short, and wouldn't end the story on a good note. The End!**

**Pastry~ **


End file.
